Adirondacks Summer Lake House

One family carries on a summer tradition at their lake house in the Adirondacks.

Finding themselves back where they belong, Lee Woodruff's family carries on the traditions of summers past.

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Jim Franco

On the Lake

As the fifth generation to come to Lake George, N.Y., we are one of those families lucky enough to return to the same place, year after year. Our 130-year-old wooden farmhouse was first owned by my grandparents, and each summer my two sisters and I would stay for a week or two until my father built our own house next door.

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Jim Franco

Woodruff Sisters

While growing up, my sisters Nancy and Megan and I had some great times in Dad's old wooden Lyman. It still doesn't take much to twist his arm for an after-dinner ride.

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Jim Franco

Whiffle Ball Games

Outdoor games are nonstop in the summer

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Jim Franco

The Woodruff Home

Silver Bay was a place my great-grandparents visited each summer at the turn of the century after a long journey, first by train and then steamship from New York City. My grandparents met and fell in love in this tiny town on northern Lake George. My mother confided in me that I was conceived here. And my husband, Bob, and I were married in the small stone chapel, where our children were later baptized. When my grandmother died, the house was sold out of the family, but Bob and I had a chance to buy it in 1999. We scraped together every cent we could to bring this treasure back into the family and create for our own children what had been given to my sisters and me. As often as we can, we continue to gather here to forge new memories for generations to come.

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Jim Franco

Making Memories

Summer is the territory of many "firsts"—the first swim across the bay, the first kiss in a boathouse, the first time I sailed alone. I want our childrens' summers to imprint their own treasured memories—the shimmer of the moon on the lake, the swoosh of a paddle in the water, the swooping sound of a mosquito-eating bat.

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Jim Franco

At the Dock

During the summer, our life here in the Adirondacks revolves around the water, from sailing and wake boarding to my own daily, slow crawl across the bay to the point. Our son, Mack, 15, can usually be found on a boat, while our six-year-old twins, Nora and Claire, love the beach. It's a gift to watch 12-year-old Cathryn on the raft with her cousins. If I squint hard enough, I can see my sisters and myself in childhood, practicing a perfect dive, sharing secrets after camp, and warming our stomachs on the sun-drenched boards.

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Jim Franco

Family Garden

With love and care, our communal garden keeps producing throughout the summer. And beside the fact that it's planted at sister Nan's house, one rule continues to hold true—if you want to pick, you have to weed.

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Jim Franco

Taking a Ride

Transportation includes a golf cart at the family's home.

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Jim Franco

Campfire Ghost Stories

My grandfather began the twilight ghost-story ritual in our house's back shed, but we've moved it to a campfire on the beach with extra Hershey bars for s'mores and a nightly hunt for shooting stars.

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Jim Franco

Playing in the Water

This home is the backdrop to simplify life, slow us all down, and teach our children about stewardship and the traditions that define our family.

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Jim Franco

Homemade Jam

All year I look forward to picking berries—raspberries are my favorite—and the kids and I make jam on summer nights. Friends know to expect a jar at holiday time.

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Jim Franco

Family Meals Alfresco

Family meals rotate among the sisters' houses, but they always include a retelling of the day's events, and lots of laughter. As the family has grown, we've had to buy bigger tables.

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